RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
What is resources?
Everything available in our environment which can
be used to satisfy our needs. It is a Technology
accessible
Economically
feasible
and
culturally
acceptable.
RESOURCES
Natural
Human
Renewable
Continuous or
flow e.g wind,
metals, water
Non-Renewable
Structures
and Institutions
Quantity and
Quality
Biological
Natural
Vegetation(Forests)
Recyclable e.g.
Wildlife
Non Recyclable
e.g.Fossil fuels
Classification of Resources
a.Individual resources: these are owned by individuals privately.
Like land owned by a farmer allotted to them by government
against the payment of revenue. Urban people own plots, houses
and other property. Some other examples include plantation,
pasture lands, ponds, water in wells etc.
b.Community owned resources: these include resources that are
accessible to all the members of the community like the village
grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, public parks,
picnic spots, playgrounds in urban areas are accessible to all the
people living there.
c.National resources: technically speaking all the resources belong
to the nation because the country has legal powers to acquire
even private property for public good. This we may have seen
many times when government take fields owned by private
individuals to construct roads, canals, railways. All minerals,
water resources, forests, wildlife, land within the political
boundaries and oceanic area upto 12 nautical miles from the
coast termed as territorial water and resources therein belong to
the nation.
d.International resources: there are also international resources
regulating resources. The oceanic resources beyond 200km of the
Exclusive Economic Zone belong to open ocean and no individual
country can utilize these without the consensus of international
institutions.
i.On the basis of origin:
On the basis of origin we can classify resources as biotic and
abiotic resources.
a.Biotic resources: these resources are obtained from biosphere
and they have a life such as human beings, flora and fauna,
fisheries, livestock etc.
b.Abiotic resourcs: it includes all those things which are
composed of non-living things like rocks and metals.
ii.On the basis of exhaustability:
a.Renewable resources: the resources which can be renewed and
reproduced by physical, chemical or mechanical processes are
known as renewable or replenishable resources. Examples of
such resources are solar and wind energy, water, forests and
wildlife, etc. we can further divide into continuous or flow and
biological.
b.Non-renewable resources: this process takes place over a long
geological time. Examples of such resources are minerals and
fossil fuels. This may take millions of years in their formation.
Some of the resources like metals are recyclable and some like
fossils fuels cannot be recycled and as such they get exhausted
with their use.
iii.On the basis of ownership:
a.Individual resources: these are owned by individuals privately.
Like land owned by a farmer allotted to them by government
against the payment of revenue. Urban people own plots, houses
and other property. Some other examples include plantation,
pasture lands, ponds, water in wells etc.
b.Community owned resources: these include resources that are
accessible to all the members of the community like the village
grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, public parks,
picnic spots, playgrounds in urban areas are accessible to all the
people living there.
c.National resources: technically speaking all the resources belong
to the nation because the country has legal powers to acquire
even private property for public good. This we may have seen
many times when government take fields owned by private
individuals to construct roads, canals, railways. All minerals,
water resources, forests, wildlife, land within the political
boundaries and oceanic area upto 12 nautical miles from the
coast termed as territorial water and resources therein belong to
the nation.
d.International resources: there are also international resources
regulating resources. The oceanic resources beyond 200km of the
Exclusive Economic Zone belong to open ocean and no individual
country can utilize these without the consensus of international
institutions.
iv.On the basis of the status of development:
a.Potential resources: resources which have not been put to use
but are found in a region are called potential resources. Like the
western parts of India more specifically Rajasthan and Gujarat
have huge potential for the development of wind and solar
energy. But these have not been developed properly so far.
b.Developed resources: it includes resources which are surveyed
and their quality and quantity have been determined for
utilization. The development of resources however depends on
technology and level of their feasibility.
c.Stock: the materials in the environment which have the
potential to satisfy human needs but human beings do not have
the appropriate technology to access these, are included among
stock. Water for example is a compound of two inflammable
gases; hydrogen and oxygen which can be used as a source of
energy. But we do not know how to use them for this purpose.
Therefore it is considered as stock.
d.Reserves: they are the subset of stock which are used with the
help of existing technical knowledge. Reserves can be used for
meeting future requirements. For example water in lakes, dams,
forests etc is a reserve which can be used in the future.